Alton vacating street section for Marquette Catholic students’ safety

Linda N. Weller, lweller@thetelegraph.com

Published
5:27 pm CDT, Thursday, August 23, 2018

ALTON — Aldermen took swift actions Wednesday to improve safety of Marquette Catholic High School students walking to their science and technology center in the former Miller’s Mutual Insurance building.

Early on at the City Council meeting, Mayor Brant Walker held a public hearing on the city vacating 127 feet of Easton Street, south of the city’s right-of-way on East Fourth Street and north of East Third Street. Easton runs between the high school and the former Miller’s building, in which Marquette has its 10,000-square-foot STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Center.

No aldermen or members of the public commented or asked questions during the hearing. Aldermen later held first reading, then suspended procedural rules more quickly to OK an ordinance allowing the city to vacate the street section.

Walker said the area, totaling .23 acres, would be blocked off to allow students to safely cross Easton.

The Council likewise suspended the rules to expedite passing ordinances effecting permission for special use permits for: an electronic message sign at 3001 Washington Ave.; a warehouse at 33 E. Delmar Ave. and 4120 Alby St.; and to operate a social organization within a residential district at 2512 Amelia St., the latter for the Boys and Girls Club of Alton.

Another rules suspension allowed aldermen to OK a resolution giving permission for the city to pay owner Inkit Patel, president of Pramukh Inc., $7,000 for the 71-square-foot corner of East Broadway and Ridge Street for a curb cut and sidewalk improvement. The panel also amended the city’s ordinance regarding the 5 percent amusement tax on entertainment tickets for events at Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater. The amendment specifies that proceeds from the tax, including interest and penalties, go into the city’s General Fund and, “immediately thereafter shall be credited to and deposited in the Alton Amphitheater Fund or account maintained by the treasurer and comptroller of the city.”

In the personnel portion of the meeting, aldermen OK’d reappointments: Sydney Reynolds and Aaron Schindewolf, Muny Band Board; and Carolyn Dooley, Park and Recreation Commission.

All of the above votes were unanimous in favor.

The Council also approved resolutions related to designing and financing improvements to Elm and Rozier streets, and Delmar Avenue in North Alton in 2020, giving permission for officials to:

• sign two preliminary and construction engineering services agreements with engineers Sheppard, Morgan and Schwaab (SMS) for work on State Street from 200 feet south of Rozier, north to city limits — about 300 feet north of Delmar — and about 260 feet of Belle Street at its intersection with State using Motor Fuel Tax funds.

• allow work improvements such as milling and patching pavement, resurfacing with hot-mix asphalt, sidewalk and curb ramp upgrades and traffic signal work at Elm Street.

The panel also voted unanimously to approve resolutions authorizing the city to: proceed with the legal process to effect demolition of houses at 1213 Rodemeyer St., 2414 Locust Ave., 2215 Judson Ave. and 3016 Watalee St.; allow Western Military Academy Memorial Site Committee to pay bills for landscaping ($1,950) and for buying two U.S. flags, ($359.06); and issue a special event liquor permit allowing alcohol sales Sept. 22 in the first block of Court Street; temporary close Highland Avenue between Gold and Silver streets from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 8; and one lane of East Third Street between Alton and George streets between 4 and 9 p.m. Oct. 6 for a block party.